1. FitnessFlash.org

2. Prolonged fasting and weightlifting
1. Advantages of prolonged fasting
2. The many ways of prolonged
fasting
3. Fasting tips for lifters

3. Advantages of prolonged fasting1

4. Many individuals undergo prolonged
fasting in order to:
•Achieve ketosis
•Psychological benefits
•Physical benefits (allow digestive
system to rest)

5. The many ways of prolonged
fasting2

6. Prolonged fasting generally lasts for at least 24 hours. Indeed, there are many kinds
of prolonged fasting, usually categorized by duration:
•24 hour fasts: A 24-hour fast lasts from dinner to dinner, or breakfast to breakfast,
whatever you like. For example, you would eat dinner at 7 pm and then fast until the
next day’s dinner at 7 pm. In this regimen, you do not actually go a full day without
eating since you are still taking one meal on that ‘fasting’ day.
•The 5:2 diet: The 5:2 diet consisted of 5 days of normal diet. On the other two
days, you could eat a total of 500 calories. Those 500 calories could be taken all in
a single meal. If, for example, this is taken as dinner, it would be identical to a 24-
hour fast. However, you could spread those 500 calories out into multiple meals
instead. These two approaches are quite similar and the difference physiologically
is likely quite minimal.
•36 hour fasts: A 36-hour fast means that you fast one entire day. You finish dinner
on day 1 at 7 pm for instance, and you would skip all meals on day 2, and not eat
again until breakfast at 7 am on day 3. So that is a total of 36 hours of fasting.

7. Fasting tips for lifters3

8. • Schedule your training around the fasting period. Personally, I do not train during
prolonged fasting. Instead, I schedule my intense training sessions before and after
the fasting period. For instance, I will train on Monday evening and have my last
meal by 8 PM. Then, I will fast for 36+ hours, and break my fast at Wednesday
noon. This means I have fasted for a good 40 hours. I do not workout on Tuesday,
but instead I will workout on Wednesday, when I am fully energized and ready to
crank up my intensity.
• If you do train in a prolonged fasting state, train smart. Keep the workouts brief
and intense rather than prolonged and dull.
• Aim to get at least 1-2 gallons of pure drinking water daily. Drinking all this water
will help thoroughly flush your system and keep your belly somewhat filled at the
same time to combat the hunger.

9. After the fast, you’ll feel more energized, healthier and somehow purified. Food will
taste better and be better processed by your digestive system, and chances are you
will find it easy break through previous plateaus in terms of weight training. If your
goal is to diet after the fast, as I have tried a few times, it’s a great jump-start since it
ditches a few pounds right off the bat.

10. THANK YOU!